Meta

Grand Old Party

Good to see that while Iraq burned, Condoleezza Rice was being well looked after by the British government.What Is Wales? is delighted to report that the Foreign Office admitted yesterday that the UK taxpayer spent more than 9,500 dollars (£4,682.73) on a 50th birthday party for the US Secretary of State in 2004.The party, hosted by the British ambassador to the United States David Manning at his official residence in Washington, saw Rice presented with a dress as a gift.Labour MP Harry Cohen uncovered the cost of the celebration in a written question to the Foreign Office.Foreign Office minister and Pontypridd MP Dr Kim Howells responded yesterday: “The dinner in question was held in honour of US Secretary of State Rice and attended by the President, First Lady and other senior figures.“There were 111 guests and the cost was US$9,512.05.”I’m sure George W and his wife Laura had a wonderful time. The Republicans aren’t nicknamed the GOP (the Grand Old Party) for nothing.According to the AFP news agency, Dr Howells’ reply followsan article in the September 6 issue of the New Statesman which criticised the Rice birthday party as a “ludicrously lavish extravaganza”.The article also described British attempts to woo “George W Bush’s disastrously inept national security adviser and now his equally feckless secretary of state.”Soon after the party, the piece claimed, London’s perception that Condie had the ear of the president quickly changed when they realised Bush was more influenced by former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and vice-president Dick Cheney and the “full extent of the Iraq catastrophe” became clear.No presents for Rumsfeld and Cheney at that party, then. Perhaps Britain will help them help themselves to a little something from oil-rich Iraq?